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punjabi chole

This chana masala recipe is a dry preparation, different from the regular chickpea curry recipe that we make with chola- bhaturas or rice. Tangy and spicy, it is more like a chana chaat cooked to make a sabzi. And all it takes is 20 mins.

This chana masala dish was part of a home challenge. I was once having this conversation with a friend about how I want to write a small booklet with some simple recipe and gift it to all my friends and cousins. Hardly anyone cooks at home and the common-most reason I get is that cooking takes a lot of time. He replied saying, “Of course it takes time! For me just making poha takes 45 mins!”

45 minutes is enough to cook a meal for 2 people. And to prove it, I made this chana masala and fresh chapatis, from scratch (including kneading the dough), within that much time.

The trick to cooking, as I learned after observing my mom, is multitasking. There is really no clear boundary between preparation and cooking. I don’t need to have all my veggies chopped and spices measured in separate bowls (like they show in cooking shows!) before putting the pan on heat. For ex. while the onion is getting cooked, there is enough time to chop the tomatoes. For measuring spices, I have a 1/2 tsp measure in my spice box, so I can measure and add spices directly into the pan. The only short cut I took here was using canned chickpeas.

When the seeds start to sputter, add the chopped chilli, ginger and garlic. Sauté for a minute. Finish chopping the onion.

Add the chopped onions to the oil. Mix well and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.

In that time, chop the tomatoes and coriander leaves.

When the onions start to brown, add the chopped tomatoes, salt and chana masala. (Here is the recipe for my mother’s homemade chana masala) Mix well and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Add a little water if the masala is sticking to the pan.

Open, drain and wash the canned chickpeas in running water. Add the chickpeas and tamarind paste to the onion-tomato mixture. Mix well and cook covered for about 5 minutes. Open and stir in between so that the sabzi doesn’t stick to the pan.

Last weekend we had the whole family visiting so in all there were 8 adults and 6 kids! Now if one plans for a complete Indian lunch or dinner it would mean at least 2-3 of us to be in the kitchen the whole time.. One of the menus which does not require too many items and is enjoyed by both kids and adults alike is Chole Bhature. Traditionally a Punjabi dish, but is enjoyed all over India.

There are readymade chole masalas of various brands in the market that can be used, but I use my mom’s recipe for the masala. Normally the chole/chana masala one gets in the market has a long list of ingredients but this one has limited number of ingredients that are easily available. And moreover the aroma of freshly ground spices adds wonders to the taste as opposed to readymade spice mix. Even for Bhature, my mom uses a combination of different types of flour to make it healthier than just the traditional maida bhature.

Chole Bhature

Preparation Time: 15 mins | Cooking time ~1 hour| Serves 10-12 adults

Ingredients

750 gms Chickpeas (chole/chana)

3 medium onions, finely chopped

4 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, grated

½ inch ginger, grated

2 green chillies, chopped

1 tbsp tamarind paste

Salt to taste

For the masala

2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing

5-6 black pepper

2-3 cloves

2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp amchoor

1 tsp pomegranate powder (if available)

For the Bhature

500 gms maida (white flour)

150 gms besan (gram flour)

150 gms sooji

150 gms atta

500 gms curd

1 tbsp salt

Method

Chole

Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. Pressure cook them with salt, one teabag (adds to the dark colour of the chole; discard after boiling) and just enough amount of water to cover. Usually chickpeas take 4-5 whistles.

Dry roast the spices for the masala for 4-5 minutes till you get a nice warm aroma and powder in the mixer or pound them in a mortal-pestle to a fine powder

Heat oil in a kadhai

Add green chillies, grated ginger- garlic and onions in that order

Sauté for about 5 minutes till onions turn slightly golden

Add tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes

Add the spice mix and cook for 2-3 minutes

Take the entire mix in a mixer and blend to a smooth paste

Transfer back to the kadhai and add the boiled chickpeas along with the water

Add tamarind paste and more salt if required

Cook uncovered for 5-10 minutes until you get the desired consistency of the gravy

Bhature

Mix all the different kinds of flour and salt and knead them into a firm dough with curd

Keep it in the sun (covered) for 3-4 hours for natural yeast process to occur (You can also add fast acting yeast to the flour mix to speed up the process)

You can prepare the spice mix in large quantity and store it for later use. Alternatively go ahead and use the ready-made spice mix.

For Bhature the proportion of Maida: Besan: Sooji: atta is 3:1:1:1. Adjust the quantity as required

While the natural yeast is the best, if you don’t have much time to soak add a little baking soda and soak chickpeas in hot water for 2-3 hours and give 5-6 whistles or you can also use canned chickpeas